ICAC impasse ends, as SA bill clears Upper House

The Opposition has finally backed a bill to set up an independent commission against corruption in South Australia.

The SA Government removed one of its MPs from a parliamentary committee to ensure it was no longer government-controlled.

That committee will have the job of reviewing appointment of a commissioner to the crime-fighting body.

Shadow attorney-general Stephen Wade told ABC Radio this morning the bill was set to pass the Upper House.

"We are actually on the same page now, both the Government and the Opposition are committed to a parliamentary committee, not Government-controlled, confirming the appointment so we look forward to resolving the detail of that model," he said.

It’s been five years since I began fighting for an ICAC – today we've finally got one after years of Labor resistance

Isobel Redmond on Twitter

"This is an ICAC-lite, but this bill will be through the Parliament either today or tomorrow."

The legislation cleared the Upper House by early afternoon.

Family First MLC Robert Brokenshire said he was pleased a good compromise had been reached.

"What we've seen today is absolute compromise, but it's compromise that's positive and it's delivered a result that says that there will be absolute independence in finalising the appointment of the commissioner," he said.

Attorney-General John Rau hoped the commission could be operating in the first quarter of next year.

He said a senior judicial officer should be appointed to head the crime-fighting body.

Political analyst Dean Jaensch of Flinders University said the ICAC will be secretive.

"The model is really one based entirely on secrecy and that is none of the hearings of an ICAC, not even is it legal to say publicly if there has been a case brought before the ICAC - it's absolutely embedded in secrecy," he said.

"The public will not know anything until, if it happens, a case emerges from the ICAC and goes through to the judicial process."